Socket wrenches

ABSTRACT

A socket wrench wherein one-half of the socket casing is hinged to swing on and clear of the other half thereof, for spanned reception of a nut therein; said casing having a spring catch on the side remote from the hinge for releasable closure of the socket casing around the nut; and means for receiving a split reducer within the socket casing to operate said wrench on a smaller nut, and such that said casing and reducer will swing open and shut together.

United States Patent 1 1 3,661,041

Welz 51 May 9, 1972 541 SOCKET WRENCHES FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [72] In nt r: R lf l 1 E h l Street, n- 405,353 12/1934 Great Britain ..8l/98 nipeg 10, Manitoba, Canada [22] Filed: Aug. 26, 1970 Primary Examiner-James L. Jones, Jr.

Appl. No.: 67,158

AImrney-Kent & Ade

[5 7] ABSTRACT A socket wrench wherein one-half of the socket casing is hinged to swing on and clear of the other half thereof, for spanned reception ofu nut therein; said casing having a spring catch on the side remote from the hinge for releasable closure of the socket casing around the nut; and means for receiving a split reducer within the socket casing to operate said wrench on a smaller nut, and such that said casing and reducer will swing open and shut together.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures P ATENTEDMAY 9 I972 INVENTOR Rudolf Welz This invention relates to socket wrenches, and particularly to those used by plumbers. In the plumbing trade, it is quite often necessary to release large nuts, such as those on unions, and frequently in awkward to get at places. These nuts are usually mounted on piping which prevents the use of ordinary socket wrenches, while box wrenches cannot secure the necessary turning grip as they merely span two faces of the nut and are inclined to ride over a damage the corners thereof. The usual procedure in such cases is to use a hammer with a cold chisel, or a punch, thus ruining the nut for further service.

The principal object of the present invention is: to provide a wrench with a split socket at one end thereof, and such that half the socket will swing on the other half for spanned reception over a nut in the manner of a box wrench, and said swung half can then be swung back and locked over the nut as a complete socket wrench.

As the nuts usually encountered in the above trade are mostly in two sizes, and the above described socket is adapted to fit the larger size of the two, it is a further object of the present invention to provide a special reducer insert for reception within the above described socket, said insert being in two pieces, each adapted to fit one of the socket halves, so they can work therewith, including their opening and shutting movements.

With the above important and other minor objects in view, which will become more apparent as the disclosure proceeds, the invention consists essentially in the design, construction and arrangement of the various parts now to be described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective view of the wrench per se, with the socket casing opened to show the construction and operation.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the reducer insert which is positioned in alignment with the socket opening in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the socket of the wrench and with the reducer insert in position thereon.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

A lengthwise handle has one end thereof provided with a hole 11 for supporting purposes when not in use. The opposite end 12 of the handle is forked, as at 13 and 14, with the inner edge of the forks in the shape of a half-hexagon, as shown at 15. The upper fork 13 is vertically stepped-back, as indicated at 16, to pivotally receive at 17 one end of a semi-hexagon keeper 18, said latter end also being vertically stepped-back on the opposite side to form a flush hinge with the fork. The lower fork 14 is horizontally stepped-up, as at 19, and provided with a vertical central stud 20, at the step, for the reception of the downwardly stepped opposite end 21 of the keeper 18, when said keeper is swung down, and a vertical central notch 22 thereon receives the stud and so prevent side play of the parts. An outer cross notch 23 is also provided on the keeper, behind the horizontal step 21, to receive a front turned-up end 24 of a catch 25 on the handle end 12, when said keeper swings down. This catch is formed from a bar 26 which is bent at 27 and provided with a pair of upturned opposed side legs 28 and 29 which span and pivot at 30 on the end 12. A rear coil spring 31 is compressed in a hole 32 of the end 12 by the rear end of the bar 26, to hold the tumed-up end 24 of the catch in resilient notch-receiving position. Accordingly, when the keeper 18 is downwardly swung shut, the stepped-down extremity 21 of the keeper will strike and depress the end 24 of the catch until it clicks into the cross notch 23 to hold the keeper closed and the stud 20 in the notch 22, for positive alignment of the socket halves. When the socket frame is to be opened up, a finger up-pressure on the rear end of the bar 26 will release the turned-up end 24 from the notch 23, and the keeper is free.

From the view shown in FIG. 1 it will be seen that the keeper 18 can be swung-up to clear the ends of the forks l3 and 14, and said forks can be pushed ahead to span a nut in the manner of a box wrench. In other words; if a union (not shown) is mounted on a p'gin g installation, the lifted keeper will permit the forks 13 an 1 to span the nut of said union,

without interference from the piping, and when the keeper is swung down to the locked position, as explained, a complete socket is provided over said nut of the union. Accordingly, the handle 10 can be operated to release or tighten said nut. The keeper can then be released, and the forks withdrawn from the nut.

As mentioned; the nuts to be released or tightened in the plumbing business are usually of two sizes. The above described wrench is designed to fit the larger nut of the two. When the smaller nut is to be turned, the operation is as follows:

It will be observed in FIGS. 1 and 3 that the rear semi-hexagon edges 15 of the handle end 12 are provided with a pair of rear-drilled holes 33, and the inner semi-hexagon edge of the keeper 18 are also provided with similar forward holes 34. These are anchoring holes. A reducer insert 35 is shown in perspective in FIG. 2 and comprises an hexagonal ring which is centrally split thereacross into two matching sections 36 and 37, which abut to form the ring. The rear outer faces of the section 36 are provided with outwardly projecting pins 38 which are adapted to fit and be received in the holes 33 of the end 12, when said section is inserted in said forked end. The outer faces of the section 37 are also provided with forwardly projecting pins 39 which are adapted to fit and be received in the holes 34 of the keeper when this section is inserted therein. As the outer faces of the sections neatly fit the semihexagonal inner faces of the end 12 and the keeper [8, they will become integral therewith when the pins are pressed into their respective holes, as shown in FIG. 3. And so the sections are opened up or closed as the keeper 18 swings open or shuts and a smaller nut (not shown) can be operated by said sections, through the handle 10 and in the same manner as above described for the larger nuts.

I claim:

1. A socket wrench, comprising: a handle having one end thereof forked to provide an inner semi-hexagonal-shape; a semi-hexagonal keeper having one end thereof pivotally connected to one of the forks of the handle to swing thereon and form a complete hexagon opening with the handle, when said keeper is closed against the other of said forks; stud means for aligning said other fork and the free end of the keeper, when said keeper is closed; a spring-operable catch pivotally carried by the other of said forks, and operable with the free end of the keeper, to releasably maintain said keeper closed; and a split hexagon-shaped reducer receivable in said hexagon opening, each half of the reducer removably pinned to one of the half sides of said opening, and swingable therewith to provide a reduced hexagon-shape within said opening, in the closed position of said keeper.

2. A socket wrench as defined in claim 1, wherein the pivoted ends of the keeper and the fork are both vertically and complementary stepped-back to form a flush hinge; and the catch-carrying ends of the handle and of the keeper are horizontally and complementary stepped-back to form with the stud means and a cross notch, a flush meeting of said latter ends.

3. A socket wrench as defined in claim I, wherein said catch is provided with a pair of side lugs which straddle and pivot on one of said free ends; and a coil spring is interposed between this latter free end and one of the ends of the catch, to resiliently hold the opposite end of the catch in engagement with the other of said free ends, when said keeper is closed. 

1. A socket wrench, comprising: a handle having one end thereof forked to provide an inner semi-hexagonal-shape; a semi-hexagonal keeper having one end thereof pivotally connected to one of the forks of the handle to swing thereon and form a complete hexagon opening with the handle, when said keeper is closed against the other of said forks; stud means for aligning said other fork and the free end of the keeper, when said keeper is closed; a springoperable catch pivotally carried by the other of said forks, and operable with the free end of the keeper, to releasably maintain said keeper closed; and a split hexagon-shaped reducer receivable in said hexagon opening, each half of the reducer removably pinned to one of the half sides of said opening, and swingable therewith to provide a reduced hexagon-shape within said opening, in the cloSed position of said keeper.
 2. A socket wrench as defined in claim 1, wherein the pivoted ends of the keeper and the fork are both vertically and complementary stepped-back to form a flush hinge; and the catch-carrying ends of the handle and of the keeper are horizontally and complementary stepped-back to form with the stud means and a cross notch, a flush meeting of said latter ends.
 3. A socket wrench as defined in claim 1, wherein said catch is provided with a pair of side lugs which straddle and pivot on one of said free ends; and a coil spring is interposed between this latter free end and one of the ends of the catch, to resiliently hold the opposite end of the catch in engagement with the other of said free ends, when said keeper is closed. 